


Ghost Ship

by GalacticNova3



Category: kirby - Fandom
Genre: Other, future setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 02:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15185141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalacticNova3/pseuds/GalacticNova3
Summary: The Lor Starcutter's life and personality decline when she loses her pilot to old age...





	Ghost Ship

Many years had passed since Lor and Magolor had arrived on Popstar. Several thousand now, in fact. Yet in none of that time had the loyal, if not mischievous ship considered what would happen when her pilot was gone. Well, not deeply, that is; the subject saddened her, and she preferred not to dwell on it. Her pilot thought it for the best that she not worry about it, knowing what he was going to do long before his time came.

Magolor had made it a point, without her knowledge, to hide how his age was affecting him. The day he knew he was going to pass, he said he was going to go spend a few hours at the library; in reality he went as far away from her as he could, as most Halcandrans do with their immediate families before they pass. It was an old tradition but one he chose to keep. 

It was in the heart of Whispy Woods that the mage drew his last breath, a place where he knew his ship couldn't reach him. Among his regrets was that the last thing he said to his ship, the one to which he owed so much, was a lie. 

Lor knew something was wrong when he did not return home that night. Or the night after that, or the nights after those. But she waited anyways, refusing to move from her spot for weeks in hopes he would make his way back to her, just as he always did. Surely, he would be back, and be proud of her for waiting on him, and they would continue the playful banter they often shared as normal. But he didn't come. 

Those familiar with the friendly ship began to worry for her. Kirby, in particular, began making more trips to the ship, practicing in her training rooms. A few had been added in recent times, as the warrior discovered more abilities he could use. But in truth, he was only there to keep the ship company in what seemed to be a time of grieving. She would not let most others on board, saying Magolor didn't want her letting people inside when he wasn't home.

The ship’s decline was becoming more apparent as the weeks wore on. Her hull was no longer it's usual shining, silvery blue, but instead a dull grey; it hadn't been cleaned in months. Her oars and emblem were in the same state. The flag was no longer white, as several rainstorms had dirtied it. At first several had offered to clean her, but the Starcutter refused. Upkeep was the pilot’s responsibility, and they were not her pilot.

Eventually, the ship decided to leave and travel the galaxy. She told nobody where she was going, for she had no destination. She was on a search for her pilot. Deep down she knew she would never find him, but perhaps she believed travel would fill the hole his absence created in her life. First around Popstar, then planet to planet.

Years passed since the ship had left, and the dilapidation she was beginning to suffer only increased with time. Her hull no longer shone blue, but more of a greenish grey. Her dome had a layer of dust, which only further decreased her vision. Her flag was torn and the fabric was stained from rain. She no longer resembled the beautiful Starcutter she had once been. 

Every once in a while she would return to Popstar. She had begun to earn a reputation as a ghost ship, now, with her dilapidated appearance and increasingly rare visits. Most had given up on trying to comfort or maintain her; Kirby still tried on the occasion she did return. She no longer let him inside anymore, now, saying Magolor needed to clean up first. He wondered if things had deteriorated just as much inside as they had outside. Other than that, the ship did not speak to him.

The truth was, Lor had loved how it felt to feel someone caring for her, cleaning her. She missed the feeling dearly, and longed for life to be the way it had once been. But things could not be like that anymore. Not without her pilot. She still stubbornly refused to believe he was gone, keeping up her search around the galaxy. She visited Nova once or twice, before seeing how it hurt him to see her like this. 

Decades pass. It no longer feels like a search, but more like wandering aimlessly through the cosmos. She returned to Popstar again, meeting a now aging Kirby. Finally, she allowed him to clean what he could, but still stubbornly refused to allow him inside. The glass of her dome was able to be cleaned nicely, but everything else seemed to suffer permanent damage, especially the now rotting flag. 

The two had a conversation for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He updated the ship on what happened while she was gone, and she opened up on how she had been feeling. Despite the warrior’s begging, she did not wish to stay among friends there. Her final words to Kirby were that a Starcutter with no pilot is not a Starcutter at all, and that she had lost her purpose.

His offer to be her new pilot was ignored, and the ship did not return to Popstar again. She sailed off into the cosmos, with no clear goal or destination in mind. Since then, sightings of a wandering ghost ship have been reported around the galaxy. Some say it could speak and mentioned searching for it’s pilot or purpose; others say it flew away on sight. Whether this ship is indeed Lor or not, nobody is entirely sure.

They do know it is not the Lor they had once known; the motherly, friendly, high-spirited ship seemingly died with her pilot.


End file.
